Cubs add veteran pitcher Trevor Richards |
When Jed Hoyer publicly said that this team wasn't done making moves this offseason, the fans felt a small sense of relief. Apart from the Kyle Tucker trade, this team hasn't done much to improve their roster this offseason.
Hoyer also said that the primary focus for the rest of the offseason is to pursue bullpen help and potentially find a third baseman to help Matt Shaw. Third base may be the less likely option at this point, as the Cubs know they need to add more bullpen pieces. Despite the Cubs whiffing on Tanner Scott, who wound up signing with the Dodgers, the Cubs, at the very least, gave him a competitive offer, which was reportedly four years and $66 million. That alone shows that Hoyer knows the importance of finding a closer and is willing to do things this organization typically doesn't do from a spending side of things. Monday saw the Cubs add another piece for 2025, but like so many moves before, it's a minor league piece with an invite to spring as right-hander Trevor Richards and the Cubs have agreed to a Minor League deal. No one likes Minor League deals, but when it comes to Minor League deals, this is about as strong of a signing as you can get. The 31-year-old Richards has bounced around the league most of his career and spent time with the Toronto Blue Jays and Minnesota Twins last season. Across 55 games and 65 1/3 innings, Richards wasn't at his best, posting a 4.55 ERA for the season. He was, however, better as a member of Toronto, and that alone could be what the Cubs are looking at in this signing. Before becoming a reliever, Richards began his career as a starter and was seen as a massive piece for the Miami Marlins rotation. In 35 games, 28 of which were starts during the 2018 and 2019 seasons, Richards struggled to win games as he combined to go 10-21 over those seasons. ERA-wise, Richards wasn't as bad as the record showed, as he posted a 4.13 ERA in those seasons. That came with a 3/1 walk to strikeouit ratio, which is all you can ask for from a starting pitcher. Like many pitchers, Richards was one of those who may have struggled as a starter but wasn't ready to give up on the MLB dream. That is when the COVID season came into play as he went from being a starter pre-COVID to being turned reliever post-COVID. Like in his days as a starter, Richards struggled to put up consistent numbers, but he showed plenty of promise during the 2021 season, which was his first opportunity to pitch out of relief. During that season, Richards appeared in 53 games and posted a career-best 3.50 ERA. He did that while keeping his walk rate close to his career mark while the strikeout numbers increased. In the three years since his break-out season, Richards has continued to be a workhorse on the mound, averaging 57 games and 68 innings across the past three seasons. Across those games, Richards has posted a 7-5 record with a 4.87 ERA and a 2/1 strikeout/walk ratio. One of the significant concerns with Richards since moving to the pen has been the increase in walks, which isn't good for a reliever. However, he saw a massive uptick in his strikeout numbers, including in 2023, when he posted a career-best 13.00 strikeouts per nine innings. Last season saw those strikeout numbers take a drastic hit as he fell below nine strikeouts per nine innings for the first time since the COVID season. While the numbers aren't impressive, his stuff can be, as this is primarily a reclamation type of singing aimed at working in the Cubs' favor. Like many starters turned relievers, Richards brings a very good heater as he tends to sit in the 95-96 MPH range most often. Along with that comes an 88 MPH slider, with arguably one of the best change-ups in the game, and it tops out at around 84. The change-up has given him the most success, as the low RPM rate and late movement make that one of the most challenging pitches to hit. When that pitch is on, Richards can strikeout anyone out, but when it's off, as it has been the past two seasons, he is prone to give up plenty of hard contact. Minor League signing or not, this is one of those deals with plenty of potential. Not only does Richards seldomly give up hard contact, but with a 30% strikeout rate, he has shown he can be a good middle-of-the-pen reliever.
